Rural letter carriers deliver

Joe Marinelli says the rural letter carriers who are meeting in Savannah this week are projected to spend $1.3 million.

The National Rural Letter Carriers Association is meeting in Savannah this week.

The group has brought 3,000 delegates to the city and the meeting lasts for 11 days -- from Aug. 10 through Aug. 20.

Joe Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, says the letter carriers are taking more than 5,500 hotel rooms and their direct spending is projected to be $1.3 million.

Marinelli says the meeting is "a big deal" for the city.

"This is the type of large-scale, national convention that we typically spend years trying to attract,” he said.

“This convention brings people from all 50 states to our region. Once they fall in love with our city, we hope that they will also become ambassadors for Savannah, telling their family, friends and neighbors back home about us."

The union represents rural letter carriers in labor negotiations with the U.S. Postal Service.